Around the BasesLinton, Stowell help UC
Irvine stifle San Francisco 4-0By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

IRVINE, Calif. - UC
Irvine likes the number zero.

The Anteaters kept it
in the loss column as they raised their mark to 6-0 in recording
their second straight 4-0 victory over San Francisco Saturday
afternoon at Anteater Ballpark.

Sophomore right-hander
Bryce Stowell (1-0) was responsible for most the zeroes on the
scoreboard for the Dons (3-4). Stowell tossed the first seven
innings for UCI with two hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

“Just a good, good,
good feeling to get that first win,” Stowell said. “We played
great today. I wanted to come out and establish the fastball
right away and take it one hitter at a time, one pitch at a
time, and I think I did that today.”

UCI head coach Mike
Gillespie added: “I think Stowell was really good. I think he
took a big step forward in terms of both command of everything,
which I think does nothing but jack his confidence, but I think
his stamina was much better too. Last time he pitched, it was
40-below so this might be more like it for him.”

Junior outfielder
Ollie Linton figured into all the scoring for the Anteaters. He
was 3 for 3 with a run, RBI, stolen base and sacrifice bunt.

For the first time
this season, UCI scored in the first inning. Junior Ben Orloff
led off with a base hit to right and moved to second when the
ball got away from the right fielder. He was sacrificed to third
by Linton and came in on a base hit by sophomore Francis Larson.

The home team doubled
its lead in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, junior Tony
Asaro beat out a grounder to third and moved to second as
freshman Tyler Hoechlin reached on a bunt single. With two outs,
Linton’s base hit to right plated Asaro with the second run.

The Dons had their
best chance to score in the eighth. With junior Matt Dufour on
the mound in relief of Stowell, senior Matt Lieb doubled to
right-center and advanced to third when the ball was not fielded
cleanly. Sophomore Sam Wiley fisted a slow come-backer to Dufour,
who looked Lieb back before throwing Wiley out at first.
Sophomore lefty Daniel Bibona came on to strike out senior Joey
Railey on a 3-2 curveball on the inside corner. Bibona closed
out the inning by enticing senior Tavo Hall to ground out to
third.

UCI added a pair of
insurance runs in the eighth. Linton roped a single to right to
open the inning, stole second, moved to third on a fielder’s
choice and scored on a squeeze bunt by freshman Ryan Fisher.
Sophomore Jeff Cusick got a two-out base hit to left, stole
second and scored on a single up the middle by junior Eric
Deragisch to push the lead to 4-0.

“That’s a day like he
can be,” Gillespie said of Linton. “He’s a catalyst. Those two
guys at the top of the lineup will give you some of those days.
When [they] do, it’s going to result in some runs. He can create
havoc, and he does. He’s a real, real plus offensive player.
He’s a real plus defensive player. He can get you going on
offense, and he did today.”

Said Linton: “I’m in
that spot where I’ve got to be comfortable seeing all different
types of pitches. I’m a situational hitter. I have to know my
role in that spot. In that spot, I had to put a sacrifice down.
In another spot I had to clutch up and tried to be myself.”

Linton had been
hitting leadoff, but recently was moved to No. 2.

“We thought it might
take a little pressure off Ollie in terms of the strike zone,”
Gillespie said. “If there’s a flaw in his game, it’s that he
tends to be a little aggressive and chase; we thought [Orloff]
was more suited in terms of patience.”

Linton said he feels
“more relaxed” in the second spot and is “just seeing different
pitches than when I was leading off. I wasn’t patient enough
when I was up in the one-spot. Now I feel a little more relaxed
in the two-spot.”

After managing just
one hit in Friday’s series opener against Scott Gorgen, USF
could muster only four hits against Stowell and three relievers.